Short Summary

The wonders of Britain - documentary made to encourage tourists to visit.

Description

Travelogue made by the British Travel Association.

Reel 1. 01:49:11 Swooping aerial shot approaching white cliffs of Dover across the English Channel. "Britain is inexhaustible" states the narrator "the famous places are only the beginning." Aerial shots of the Kent countryside and of Canterbury Cathedral. Tracking shot moving towards the entrance to the Cathedral. Interior of the Cathedral, people at prayer. Low angle shot of the exterior of the Cathedral against blue skies. Shopping street of Canterbury. Camera follows a horse and cart which has a load of hay in the back.

01:50:32 Cut to a speed boat travelling across a lake. Various shots of the young man piloting the boat and his female companion.

01:50:52 The English Breakfast in an English Country Hotel. Various shots of a group of people sitting at a hotel breakfast table. A young woman joins them and one of the men says: "You take rather a time to dress young lady"!

01:51:06 Derby Day. Men in top hat and tails. A pearly king and queen. A woman with three parrots balanced on her head and shoulders. A man dressed in jockey colours pretends to be riding a horse. Prince Monolulu shouts that he has a horse that will beat the favourite. A man makes prediction of the winning horse surrounded by onlookers. Various shots of the horses and crowds. The race begins. Camera follows the horses.

01:52:00 The Bluebell Line in Sussex. Small steam train moves away from Sheffield Park station. The line is run by amateurs "just for the fun of it". Various shots of the train, tracks, driver.

01:52:35 High angle shot follows a more modern electric train. Interior of the restaurant car. A waiter asks a couple if they would like more wine. They are having dinner. The woman looks out of the window and we cut to picturesque shots of a river.

01:52:52 Norfolk Broads - various scenic shots of yachts and pleasure boats on the Broads. A couple tie up their boat outside a pub and the camera zooms in on two elderly men sitting at an outside table drinking pints.

01:53:25 Whitby, Yorkshire. Various shots of the harbour and fishermen. Two young boys sit on the quayside as a fisherman tells them a tale. C/U of the fishermen and the boys. Narrator tells history of the town. Captain Cook's ships were built here and Cook worked in Whitby before he put to sea. The first man to write poetry in English - Caedmon - also lived here, in the Abbey. Good shots of the harbour and the Abbey. Tourists look around the ruins of the Abbey. Various shots of the ruins.

01:54:41 Two women with rucksacks climb a hillside in Wales on a sunny day. Good hiking shots of the girls as they look at the view. L/S of Powys Castle. Various shots of the castle and its gardens. Beautiful moving shots. Welsh countryside. Camera zooms in to a Welsh pub. Two men sit at a pub table drinking pints of beer. One jokes with the other and speaks in both English and Welsh. Panning shot of beautiful Welsh countryside.

01:56:35 Various shots of Hadrian's Wall and ruins around it. Bath in Somerset. Various shots of statues and the healing waters of the Roman baths. A hog is roasted over a spit and a woman in Roman dress eats some grapes.

01:57:45 Various shots of people in costume at the Bath Festival which has a Roman theme. Woman walks out of the baths with a basket of fruit. High angle shot of a small boat on the water of the Roman bath and girls wading through the water carrying fruit. Various shots of Bath architecture. Narrator speaks of Beau Nash and the two John Woods.

01:58:23 Scottish marching band. Traditional Clansman ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Highland Games in Strathdon, Aberdeenshire. They walk through the gates of a large stately home or castle (possibly Glenbuchat?) then gather in front of it for a wee dram to drink the health of the homeowner. Various shots of the men in traditional Scottish dress drinking a toast. Panning shot of a Loch Alsh and Castle Eilean Donan.

02:00:04 Aerial shot of the "Anglo Saxon metropolis of London". Tower of London. Changing of the Guard at the Tower. The Queen's Keys are exchanged. The raven's of the Tower - narrator speaks of the Tower's history and traditions. Various shots. C/Us of the Crown Jewels.

02:01:15 Royal Jewellers in Bond Street. Two women do some window shopping. We follow them as they look into various shop windows. Regent Street. Savile Row. M/S of tailor fitting a man for a suit: "How does that feel, is it comfortable on you sir?" he asks. The tailor explains to the man the alterations he will make to the suit. Continued.